It turned out to be a big piece of junk. It had play in the fore grip almost as bad as a Mossy. and it had a lot of problems ejecting shells. I took it back to the Gander Mountain where I bought it and was told the Remington had made a lot of them with bad ejectors and had a recall on them. They kept the gun for three weeks before giving it back. I took it to the range and after a couple of shells went through it it got one jambed in it again. I took it back to the store and showed them and got a refund. I was not impressed at all. Later I bought a Winchester and never had a problem.

Remington has had a lot of problems recently with extraction issues.

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I also own a Mossberg which is in my opinion a gun that really shows you get what you pay for.

Like a $700 Remington?

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It is noisy and the fore grip is terrible and makes it hard to pump. The magazine is closed so extensions are out of the question. I have changed out the plastic safety as well as the trigger guard. It makes a huge difference to get rid of the plastic. Mossberg could sell a lot more guns if they would put all metal on them to begin with. I will say that the Mossy is easier to load then the 870 and way more reliable.

So, you actually got more than you paid for in comparison to the Remington.If you get the 590 and some models of the 500 you would actually have the clean out mag tube, and the A1 model has the metal trigger guard and safety. Regardless, the metal parts are available and there are aftermarket metal safeties that are far better than the factory unit.In addition, Remington is shipping the 870 with plastic trigger guards now. So that has levelled the field a little more in the Mossberg/Remington comparison.

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To bad the Winchesters are made in Japan now it is the best of the three but I will never own a foreign made gun.

I've never had a problem with my 590A1. Does the foreend rattle on the 590? Yes, and I don't really care. It is a tool. It works great and I've never had to worry about it not extracting. Built like a tank. It isn't going to win a beauty pageant, but that's not what I bought it for. I got it for functionality.

_________________You might find me someday dead in a ditch somewhere. But by God, you'll find me in a pile of brass.

I've had my Mossberg 500 for over 12 years now. I paid $170 for it brand new. I have put I don't know how many thousand shells through it - dove loads, buckshot, slugs, duck loads, 2-3/4", 3", lead, steel. It still has the plastic safety and trigger guard (I am considering a metal safety but don't know yet). The forearm rattles but who cares. The more I shoot it the smoother it gets. If I point it straight up and hold the action release I just have to give it a little shake and it slides all the way open. I've used it for hunting and have taken it through a school and I train with it relatively regularly (not as regularly as I'd like).

Both great guns... either is a solid choice. I've been shooting Mossberg 500 and 590 for years and they are tried, true, solid, and totally reliable. I have also just ordered an 870 Police, which I'm sure I will enjoy using for many years to come. But there are some very noteworthy differences between the guns as far as controls and operation goes.

Comes down to this for me:

1) I prefer the carrier-up mode design of the Mossberg for really easy loading... no need to bother with pushing the carrier out of the way to access the tube for loading/topping off while shooting. One can get used to dealing with the carrier being in the way (870), but having the carrier out of the way (500/590) is much nicer - especially when topping off under duress.

2) I prefer the tang mounted safety of the 500/590... you can see it VERY quickly and easily, access it with either hand for left or right hand shooting, and you can operate the safety while your trigger finger is ready to shoot, without changing the position of your shooting hand! No need to use your trigger finger for anything BUT firing the gun. Seeing the safety position on the 870 is more difficult and operating it takes more hand movement.

3) I prefer the slide release lever on the 500/590... a slight shift of the middle finger releases the slide without having to change or shift the position of the hand and without moving your trigger finger from ready/fire position. With the 870, the shooting hand must be moved from firing position to reach under and over to the left side.

4) I prefer having the double extractors (on on each side of the bolt) with 500/590 vs. a single extractor on the 870. Two is probably better than one.

5) I like the standard 9-round capacity of the 20" Mossberg 590. For a defense shotgun, nine before reloading again is very nice to have.

The steel receiver of the 870 is no doubt more durable than the aluminum receiver on the 500/590, but I've never seen nor experienced any issues associated with the receiver on the 500/590 and I doubt that the average shooter would ever experience a problem with the receiver being aluminum vs. steel. This materials difference between the gun's receivers is virtually negligible when comparing the guns vs. the more significant differences in operating controls.

As for overall durability and lifespan... if the gun is a personally owned, home defense weapon, of an ordinary citizen, I believe it is extremely unlikely that one would encounter any noteworthy limitation in durability or longevity. We're not talking about a service issued weapon that is fired a bazillion times by dozens of different people, day in and day out, under the most difficult, abusive conditions imaginable for years and years-on-end. So, I don't really see this as being terribly important as a selection criterion for a personally owned home defense weapon.

Though my preference is for Mossberg, no doubt one can become accustomed to either platform and both can be considered equally reliable. I would feel very well covered having either a 500/590 or an 870 as a personal defense shotgun.

_________________"Be kind... everyone you encounter in life is fighting battles which you have no awareness of."

I use the 870/ (short cut) in the bush back in the 60sand I'll say this it save my but a many of times.I got a Rem 870 Esp Mag. 12 ga pump when I got home and stilehave it. I even use it trap shooting and I have hadno prom. with it at any time.

Wow... so well informed AND a good writer! Seriously, though, that was informative and, if nothing else, quite entertaining. I hate to sound like the moron I truly am but I will ask anyway... why is it so important that a shotgun can "take abuse"? I was always taught to treat your weapon with respect and keep it clean. Is it REALLY necessary to test a shotgun to see if it will survive a "30 foot freefall drop onto a set concrete surface" or operate "... after 24 hour direct exposure to -30 degrees Celsius and 10% humidity." Okay... winter hunting MAY give you the last condition, but how much does anyone REALLY abuse their firearm?

i've seen some pretty beat up shotguns over the years; you'd almost think it was done intentionally.

I think the position of the safety and slide release on the mossberg is awkward if you are using a pistol-gripped full stock. It's great if you are using a normal stock, bad if using a pistol-gripped stock. Especially the slide release...its hard to squeeze a finger between the pistol grip and trigger guard to get at the slide release.

Hey, can anyone tell me exactly what quality issues are being seen with remington? I've heard of bad extractors, poorly machined parts, and bad finishes, especially with the express. Is that true?

Hey, can anyone tell me exactly what quality issues are being seen with remington? I've heard of bad extractors, poorly machined parts, and bad finishes, especially with the express. Is that true?

Having owned a number of 870's, I can tell you that they are solid, reliable guns. However, when I buy a new Express I invest about $25 to upgrade the MIM extractor to the forged version, install a heavier carrier dog follower spring, and install a heavier Wolff magazine spring. I, personally, have never had any of these parts fail, but for an investment of about $25 you have essentially upgraded to the 870P.

...but you like so many others have either been brain washed or spoon feed too much bullshit or both.

But how do you really feel OMEGASANDMAN?

Back on topic now.........

I have both a 590 and an 870 Police (so we're pretty much talking apples-to-apples here).The semi-regular debates about which is the "best" shotgun remind me of the Ford vs. Chevy debates: a lot of emotion, a lot of alleged "facts" and rumor, and not much else except some entertainment.

Here is my take on them:

BOTH are good, reliable shotguns perfectly capable of taking hard use if necessary.

I prefer the 870's steel receiver over the 590's aluminum receiver. The steel gives me more tactile satisfaction and theoretically should last longer than aluminum (but I've never heard anyone complain that their aluminum receiver wore out).

The 870 is a bit easier to reassemble after cleaning, in my opinion.

Good supply of "tactical" accessories for both, but you may have to look a little harder for the 590 as there are a lot more 870's out there and retailers therefore tend to give it more inventory room. (Tip: if you want a Surefire fore-end light for the 590, you need the model 623A01 to clear the bayonet lug.)

I like the 590's ambidextrous tang safety much more than the 870's safety on the trigger group housing.

Those are about the only pertinent differences in my opinion. I'll just give you the standard advice of handling both of them before you commit to a decision. You won't go wrong with either of them, though. Just get whichever one you subjectively like more.

I wish Remington would make an 870 with a tang safety or Mossberg would make a 590 with a steel receiver. That Remberg would be my ideal pump gun!

I'm not sure I agree with everything omegasandman said regarding the military conspiracy over shotgun selection and so on but AGREE 100! with everything stated by familyguy45. Both are my top choices for all-around shotgun manufacturers although I do certainly acknowledge the other superior manufactures. The biggest deciding factor between the two for me was the safety and receiver. I bought the 870 due to the receiver but must take care not to loose a little skin when shooting.